


lava ebbs and flows

by nikola_tesla_slowburn



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: Angst, Bittersweet Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Kiss, Idiots in Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, i watched geothermal escapism and now im feeling emotions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:20:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26981278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nikola_tesla_slowburn/pseuds/nikola_tesla_slowburn
Summary: It’s subtle at first, manageable. Small patches of sidewalk taken over by the stuff, sections of apartment floor, and the most heartbreaking; sections of the study room.But it’s manageable, at least that’s what Abed has been telling himself.
Relationships: Troy Barnes & Abed Nadir, Troy Barnes/Abed Nadir
Comments: 10
Kudos: 81





	lava ebbs and flows

**Author's Note:**

> a quick thing i wrote bc i couldn't stop thinking about the fact that abed had been seeing the lava even before the game started and sdkjASKDF yeah anyways sorry if the way it's written is a little strange i wrote this with a sudden burst of motivation i had when i first woke up this morning so y e ah

The lava comes slowly at first. 

Abed first notices it the day Troy announces he’s really going to do it, he’s going to take Pierce’s old boat and sail the world. He’s going to leave. 

It’s subtle at first, manageable. Small patches of sidewalk taken over by the stuff, sections of apartment floor, and the most heartbreaking; sections of the study room. 

But it’s manageable, at least that’s what Abed has been telling himself. 

Then, Abed walks in on Troy packing up his things and Abed’s vision flashes and suddenly everywhere but the comic book he accidentally stepped on is engulfed in lava. 

“Abed? is everything ok buddy?” 

Abed quickly swings his head up from staring at the floor and meets Troy's eyes. He opens his mouth to try and explain, but just ends up shaking his head and grabbing a pile of old books and comics to help line his way back to his bedroom. 

The night before troy leaves, Abed is sat cross legged on his bunk. He can hear the bubbling of the lava, and Annie and Troy's hushed conversation, but he’s determined to block it out by planning a school-wide game of ‘the floor is lava’. He doesn’t notice when Troy walks in. 

“Abed?” he asks softly, almost seeming scared to say it any louder. 

Abed looks up and scrunches up his face slightly at the sight of Troy standing in the lava, but he quickly goes back to a neutral expression. 

Troy couldn’t know, at least not yet. 

He makes his way over to the bunk and plops down next to Abed, staring intently at his face, trying to decode what Abed is feeling. 

Abed refuses to make eye contact with Troy, instead choosing to focus his attention on fidgeting with the mechanical pencil he had held in his hands. 

His breath hitches as he feels Troy’s hand snake its way into his lap, gently pushing the pencil aside and lacing their fingers together. Troy gives his hand a small squeeze and Abed can feel hot tears burn at the corners of his eyes. 

“I’m not gonna be gone forever.” he reassures. 

“I know.” Abed replies, cringing internally at the way his voice cracks on the last word. 

“I’m gonna come back to you, I always will.” 

“I know.” 

“I love you” 

Abed bites at his tongue to keep from crying out, but a few tears slip down his face. 

"I know.” he replies shakily. 

He turns to Troy and before he can think back to all the times he had tried this in the dreamatorium, all the times he had tried to tell a simulated Troy how he really felt, and all the times it failed and left Abed alone and broken, he kissed him. 

It's a messy kiss, filled with tears and shaky apologies from Troy, but Abed melts into it, and wraps his arms around Troy’s neck. They pull apart and Abed examines Troy's face. He’s not crying anymore but his eyes are filled with an unexplainable sadness. 

They spend the night curled up together, Troy’s face tucked in the crook of Abed’s neck, and Abed’s arms wrapped around him, his hands making small circles in Troy’s back. 

For the first time in the past week, the lava seems to fade from Abed’s field of vision. 

It'll be back soon enough though.


End file.
